Email is our most common form of communicating. We rarely pick up the phone. 90% of us who use the internet at work use it for business email. Often, we forget that email or written communcation is a part our personal brand or first impression.
Here are a few guidelines and tips to keep in mind when sending emails:
- Think before you write. Let’s start with the “To” and “CC”. The email addresses in the “To” are for the people you are directly addressing. The addresses in the “CC” are for those you are indirectly addressing. Be careful. Think about who really needs to receive the email you are about to send. Keep in mind, the more people you send the email to, the less likely you are going to get a response or action taken.
- “Reply to All” can generate a great deal of unneccessary emails and headaches. Use this sparingly. Again, think before you hit the button.
- Now, let’s consider the body of the email. Remember, an email should mirror a business memo. How do you address the person? How formal should you be? This can be a bit tricky. How do you address them in person? Do you call your manager by their first name? If so, address them that way in an email. If you address your client by “Mr. Smith”, then that is the way you would address them in an email. Each situation needs to be evaluated individually. Depending on how formal your email needs to be, using “Dear” is not always necessary.
- Using a plain font is best.
- Be concise and get to the point. Make it clear why you are writing at the beginning of your email. Be specific. You are more likely to get a response.
- Do not abbreviate. This is not a text. “When r u arriving?” is never appropriate in an email.
- Keep your personal emails personal. Do not send personal emails from your business email address or laptop. The company owns both. Company email is not private.
- What is your tone? Email is not the same as having a face-to-face meeting. If you have a tough message to deliver, do so in person.
- Don’t write in all caps.
- Use complete sentences. Double check and reread your email before sending, even if you use the spell check. Beyond “FYI” or “BTW”, keep abbreviations to a minimum
- Smilies. Do not use these if you are sending a business email.
- What are “threads”? Always include a topic on the subject line of the email. As you communicate with the person, this creates a link to your original email. This way the person can follow along from the first email. Do not break the “thread” from the original email. This way the followers can see the sequence of emails and respond accordingly.
- Always include a “signature”. This includes your name, the name of your business, maybe your title, phone number, email address, and website. Keep this brief.
Do you have other email etiquette suggestions? Please post a comment if you do. If you would like more information on how to improve and polish your first impression, click here.
